Happy Endings
by bibliophileemily
Summary: Breaking the curse means everyone finds happiness. Everyone, except one. Rumplestiltskin is going to need all the help he can get to finally find his own happy ending. As of the season 1 finale, this is now AU.
1. Chapter 1

At last the curse is broken. The key, the savior, stands triumphant, the Evil Queen vanquished at her feet. All around, the citizens of Storybrooke begin to look around, to recognize, to realize, to _remember_.

As Emma sinks to the ground, exhausted, Henry comes running to her.

"Emma, Emma! You did it!" he shouts. "The curse is broken; we've won!"

"Henry…" She can't even finish her sentence before Henry throws her arms around her and squeezes.

"Now everyone's going to remember again! You'll finally have your parents," he pauses to blink back tears, "and I'll finally have my family."

Emma hugs him back hard. Across the way, Mary Margaret and David remember and instantly embrace before realizing their daughter is looking at them with expectant eyes.

Their reunion is filled with tears, much like the other reunions occurring around them. Thomas and Ella, Gepetto and Jiminy, Nova and Grumpy… True loves kiss each other, parents hug children, old friends shake hands. Everyone is smiling.

Everyone, except one.

Mr. Gold stands on the sidewalk, grimly observing the jubilation before him.

His curse has failed; it was designed to be easily broken, but it wasn't supposed to end like this. It's too late to change his fate now.

At any moment, Storybrooke will be no more, and everyone will go back. He starts to head towards the woods, but then he sees Snow White. Her hair is already beginning to grow. The changes are already beginning. Gold—no, truly Rumplestiltskin once more—feels his leg begin to heal; he soon won't need the cane.

He surveys the crowd once more when he sees him. _Her_ father, Maurice. The bastard is crying and running towards someone. That _bastard_…even he has a happy ending.

Rumplestiltskin angrily turns away. His skin is already beginning to glisten with dark power. He walks away, towards his shop; there's something he needs before it's too late.

He doesn't see who Maurice embraces. He doesn't see blue eyes seeking him out. He doesn't see Belle disentangling herself from her father's arms and running after him. He's too focused on getting the cup.

He barely gets his hands on it before Storybrooke breaks. The sky cracks, the ground shakes, and soon everyone is falling, falling down into their world, their true world.

Everyone lands in Snow and Charming's kingdom. Most are a bit confused, slightly dazed, but no one is hurt. It's a happy ending, after all.

Everyone is happy, all except one.

Rumplestiltskin is in his cell, trapped with nothing but a chipped cup filled with his own self-hatred and memories of the last chances for happiness he's had. There's a crack in the cup, and he's afraid if he moves his hands, the cup will split in two. He sits on the floor of his cell and weeps.

The curse is broken. Everyone has a happy ending, but for him, there's nothing happy about this.


	2. Chapter 2

A week after the curse breaks, Snow White and Prince Charming hold a ball in their castle. No one needs an excuse, but the invitation officially states the reason for celebrating is to welcome Princess Emma and Prince Henry to the kingdom. It's a splendid party; guests have come from all across the forest, dressed up in their finest. It's the first celebration after the curse was broken, and everyone is happy to finally shake off the lost years and go back to life as they remembered it.

Emma, however, is completely lost. If it weren't for Operation Cobra, she would have no clue what to call these people she thought she knew. She and Henry sit together on their thrones; even in this new world, he is inseparable from his book. Emma's never felt so grateful for that.

"Who's that dancing with Kathryn?" she asks.

"Abigail," Henry says resolutely.

"Sorry…Abigail."

"That's Frederick; he's her true love. They've been kept apart this whole time by the curse." He holds up the book so she can see the page he's reading.

"Good thing you have that book, kid. Having to learn names is hard enough the first time around."

Henry doesn't reply; he was too busy turning the pages, making a mental checklist of everyone in the book.

"There's Cinderella and Thomas," he mutters under his breath. "Gepetto, Pinocchio, and Jiminy Cricket, the Mad Hatter and Grace…"

He stops, his book open to a picture of Grumpy and Nova.

"Who's that?" he asks, eyes wide.

"Who?" Emma looks down at the book. "Looks like Leroy and Astrid to me."

"No, not in the book. Her!" He points to a young woman across the ballroom.

Emma frowns. "I don't know; I've never seen her before."

"Me neither," Henry says. He frantically flips through his book. "I'll try and find out."

"Well, she's with Moe French if that helps. Did you ever figure out who he is?"

Henry shrugs, shakes his head, and goes back to searching the book for answers.

They don't have to wonder for long. After a lull in the dancing, Moe and the strange girl comes up to meet them.

"Hello, Princess Emma," she says. "I wanted to thank you for breaking the curse."

"Who are you?" Henry asks, always ready to get to the point. "And how come we never saw you in Storybrooke before?"

"Henry," Emma starts, but the woman smiles.

"It's all right." She bends a bit so that she's eye level with Henry. "My name is Belle, and this is my father, Maurice. Before the curse started, the Evil Queen captured me and locked me in a dungeon. When the curse happened, I was still locked up, but in a different sort of dungeon." She straightens up and looks at Emma. "A mental ward, actually. It's thanks to you, princess, that I'm finally free."

"That's…I wish I'd known," Emma replies. "I'm sorry I couldn't help sooner."

"It's all right…no one remembered and knew to look for me."

"My false memories told me I had a daughter," Maurice says, wrapping his arm around her. "But I believed she'd killed herself. I had no idea she was even alive." Belle smiles at him and returns the hug.

"But now you're together again!" Henry says. "You've got your happy ending!"

"Yes…our happy ending." For a brief moment, Belle's face creases with sadness. "Papa, would you get me some wine? I'll be along in a moment."

Maurice goes, leaving her behind with Emma and Henry.

"Henry, may I ask you a question about your book?" Belle asks.

"Of course!"

"Were you able to identify everyone in it?"

"Almost everyone…you weren't in there; that's why I had trouble with you."

"Oh, that's all right, but…" She leans in conspiratorially. "Maybe you can help me. I'm looking for someone."

"Well, we'll help you! Emma's good at finding people!"

"Calm down, kid. Who're you looking for?"

"Well…I'm looking for a man. Papa won't tell me who he is…but I saw him right before the curse broke standing by some sort of shop."

"What did he look like?" Emma asks.

"He had his back to me," Belle thinks for a moment. "But I think he had a cane."

"Mr. Gold?" Emma and Henry both say at the same time.

"Is that his name? Well, this Mr. Gold…do you know where he is?"

"Come to think of it," Emma says, perplexed, "I haven't seen Gold around here."

"I never figured out who he is," Henry says, shrugging.

"I might be able to help with that," Belle says. "But I need you to help me find him first."

* * *

><p>It has been a very long week for Rumplestiltskin. He hasn't seen another soul since he found himself back in prison. Perhaps he's been forgotten, or perhaps he's being left here to die. Either way, he's completely trapped; his magic is useless behind these charmed bars, and there is no way he can escape.<p>

A premonition works its way to the front of his mind: he will have visitors tomorrow. The magic is too weak for him to see exactly _who_ is coming, but it's enough.

"I suppose I should prepare myself for company," he says to the two halves of the chipped cup. He's already cut himself twice on the cracked edges, but until now, he has refused to put them down, terrified that it will be further damaged. Now, he slips them into his shirt pocket; it's uncomfortable, but it wouldn't do to have visitors see the Dark One in mourning. As if for practice, he laughs, high-pitched and wild, and straightens his vest. No, it would not do at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes**: This chapter contains a minor spoiler for episode 19, "The Return." If you've watched the promo for the episode, you would already know the plot point I reference, but for the true spoiler-phobes, this is your heads-up.

* * *

><p>"Absolutely not," James says. "There's no way I'm letting you go down to see that...him." He turns his back, fully anticipating the look his daughter gives him when she hears her request being denied.<p>

"I don't see what the problem is, Dav…Dad," Emma responds, pulling the family card. It's something she only now is beginning to understand. "I've dealt with Gold before; what makes you think I can't handle him here?"

"I don't want him near my family again," James says. "This discussion is over." He walks away. Emma gives Snow White a look.

"I'll talk to him," Snow says, leaving Emma behind in the garden.

Emma sinks onto a bench, watching her parents—her parents!—talk then looks over at Belle, who is blissfully unaware of what's going on. She's busy talking to Leroy—no, Grumpy. Emma briefly wonders how they knew each other before Belle comes over, visibly upset.

"What's wrong?"

"What a horrid fairy!" Belle is shaking with anger.

"What happened? What fairy?"

"The Blue Fairy!" Belle says. "She separated them. Took love away from them."

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down. It's OK," Emma grabs Belle's hands. "It's OK."

Belle stops, takes a deep breath, and sits down on the bench next to Emma.

"I'm sorry…I…"

"What happened?"

"Dreamy. I met him once, before…He was in love. And I told him he needed to be with his love." She looks at Emma. "He was in love with a fairy. And the Blue Fairy told them…told him they couldn't be together." She clenches her hands into fists again. "Why would someone try to separate people who are in love?"

"I don't know," Emma shrugs. "Maybe he can find his love again."

"That's it! He needs to find his love!" Belle rubs her hands on her skirt. "That will solve everything."

"You've got some set views on how love works," Emma laughs. She stops the second she sees Belle's face.

"You're right; I do have views on love," Belle says slowly. "Have you ever been in love, Emma?"

Emma breathes in. "Yes. Twice."

"Then you know how much it hurts to be…apart from the one you love."

"More than anything."

"That's why _this_ is so wrong," Belle has her fists clenched again. "I cannot believe the Blue Fairy…_anyone_ would try to separate people in love!"

"I can."

"The Queen?"

Emma nods, and Belle stares at the ground.

"Emma!" Snow White shouts as she runs back to them. "Emma, your father said you can go. You can both go." She gives them a look. "But he's going with you."

* * *

><p><em>Do the brave thing, and bravery will follow. <em>

Belle does not feel brave. She falls behind Emma and James as they lead the way down into the underground prison. It's cold, and the black cloak she's wearing to hide her face does nothing to keep out the chill.

"You all right?" Emma waits for Belle to catch up with her. "He's locked up; he can't hurt you."

Belle nods, a shiver going down her spine. They've reached the end of the hall and stand in front of a large cell.

James thrusts the torch forward. "I know you're in there; show yourself!"

"No need to shout, dearie," a voice says from the shadows. "I knew you were coming." And with a maddening giggle, Rumplestiltskin steps into the light.

"My God," Emma gasps, horrified by his appearance. "The curse was good to you, Gold."

"It's Rumplestiltskin, dearie," he says, leering at her from behind the bars. "And of course, it was; I made it."

"Rumplestiltskin?" Emma's not impressed. "Seriously? The guy who makes you guess his name?"

"He's more powerful than he seems," James explains. "The most powerful man in the land."

"And don't you forget it," Rumplestiltskin says, beaming. "By the way, princess, you still owe me that favor."

"Yeah, well, that's not going to get you out of that cell," Emma says. "Anyway, you have a visitor."

"I'd say I have three." He eyes Belle; with her hood up, he has no idea who she is, which unnerves him. Not that he'd ever show it.

"Cut the crap, Gol…Rumpl…_you_." Emma turns to Belle. "You sure you want to be alone with him?"

Belle tries to say something, but nothing comes out. She nods instead. Emma and James exchange a look, then retreat out of earshot.

Rumplestiltskin watches them go before fixing his eyes on the mysterious figure before him. He hasn't a clue about the person before him or his purpose in being here. His mind flashes back to August, to the moment he'd been terrified for his life in Storybrooke.

The figure before him hasn't moved. _What is his motive?_ _Whoever he is, he's very short_. _Too short_, he realizes, _to be a man._

"So," he begins; no sense in delaying. "Just what do you want, dearie? Met a bad end of a deal and come for revenge?"

"Not quite," Belle says gruffly; she has the sense to disguise her voice, but she's shaking so badly, she's not sure it's working. "You broke a deal with me. Twice."

"Oh, you're not even trying," Rumplestiltskin scoffs. "I never break my deals."

"Never? Not even once?"

Rumplestiltskin presses against the bars and peers at her. "Just what exactly are you implying? That I don't keep my promises?"

"Maybe. Maybe not," Belle gives up, tries something else. "How long have been locked in here?"

"Didn't keep track."

"Guess."

He shrugs, giggles, looks at her again in that maddening way. "Some months before the curse began. I'd say at the most, five months."

"Months?" Disguising her voice is quickly forgotten as Belle's temper flares. "Months? But before that, you…you were free?"

None of this is making any sense to Rumplestiltskin; even more annoying is his inability to place her voice. So familiar, yet…

"Who _are_ you?" he asks.

"Someone you broke a deal with," Belle says before—_she must be brave—_she pulls back her hood.

* * *

><p>He can't breathe. This isn't possible. She's dead. But there she is, staring at him with those blue eyes he couldn't forget if he tried.<p>

She's dead. This is a trick or a dream, some sort of hallucination. But, if this isn't real, if he's imagining it all, why does Belle look so angry? In his dreams, she is always smiling.

"You," he finally manages to say. It's so hard to speak when he cannot breathe. It has to be a dream.

"Me," Belle says. "I made a deal with you. Two deals, actually. You broke them both."

"This can't be real." Rumplestiltskin doesn't even hear her. "You're dead."

"Dead?" Belle is shocked; her voice turns shrill. "Dead? Who told you I was dead?"

"The Queen." He has to struggle to get the words out. "Your father had you tortured."

Belle's face contorts with disbelief. "What?"

"You threw yourself off the tower."

"And…and you believed that? You believed _her_?" If she'd been angry before, it was nothing compared to her fury now. "You believed her and never thought to find out the truth for yourself? You never thought to look for me?"

"I thought you were dead."

"That's no excuse!" Belle shouts with such force that Rumplestiltskin actually jumps back. "I was locked in a dungeon for thirty years! I hadn't seen the light of day until the curse broke. And all this time, I thought…" She stops, refusing to let him hear her voice crack. "You were too afraid to look for me."

"Belle, I…"

"You thought I was dead." She turns her head away. "There were times I wished I was."

All of a sudden, he remembers how to breathe. She's gripping the bars; slowly, he extends one finger and touches it to her wrist. He almost pulls it back when she snaps her head to look at him, but the pulse under his finger keeps it riveted there.

"You're warm," he finally says.

"I'm not a dream."

He pulls his hand away. "So I've gathered. You never shout at me in my dreams."

Belle's face contorts; the anger is melting away, but she does not dare smile and let him know. "You deserved it. If you hadn't broken your deal with me, the Queen would never have locked me away."

He wishes there was something he could say, but Rumplestiltskin knows she's right. He can't defend himself against this. Instead, he hangs his head in silence.

After a moment, Belle tilts her head to look at his face.

"So…do you often dream of me?" This time, she doesn't even bother to hide the amusement in her voice.

He ducks his head before she can see his expression. "What does it matter?"

"You're still a coward." He can't stand the disappointment in her voice.

"Seems to be my curse, dearie," he mumbles. "And nobody's breaking that."

"You don't _have_ to be a coward."

She's pressed herself as close as she can get to him with the bars in the way. If Rumplestiltskin was brave, he could reach through the bars and hold her, kiss her even. He immediately banishes such thoughts from his head; after all, he is _not_ brave.

"Rumplestiltskin?"

A long time ago, he swore that if she'd still been alive, he'd kiss her without hesitation; he would free himself from his curse and find happiness with her. But thinking that when grief-stricken and believing her dead is very different from being confronted with a living, breathing Belle, so close to him and staring at him with those innocent blue eyes.

It would be so easy to just lean down and press his lips against hers, but instead it's the most difficult task in the world, an impossible puzzle, an insurmountable mountain. He doesn't think he can do it.

The world starts to spin, and he grabs onto the bars as well. Belle seems so far away. _Has she always been that short?_

"I don't know how," he whispers.

"How to what?" He can barely hear her over the rushing of the blood in his ears.

"How to be brave."

"You know how." She puts her hand on his. "I know you do."

He wants to protest; there are things he's done, sins he's committed, for which he can never be forgiven, but he looks at her, looks into her eyes, and he knows he couldn't choose anything else if he tried.

It's not a very long kiss by typical standards, but it's enough to start the world spinning again. Rumplestiltskin sways, catches the bars for support, and looks back at Belle, who is smiling the widest smile he's ever seen.

"I…" There's so much he wants to say, but none of it will come out. He has enough time to vaguely wonder if the curse is breaking before Belle threads her fingers through his hair and kisses him again, rendering him incapable of coherent thought.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: **I was considering dropping this fic as every single plot point has been changed because of the season finale. However, since I think it's still an interesting story and I really want to continue what I've thought up for this story, I will keep going with it.  
>This was a very difficult chapter to write; the rest of the story should come more easily so there will be smaller gaps between updates from now on. Thank you for your patience.<p>

* * *

><p>His head hurts. Belle is smiling at him, but her face is starting to blur. Everything feels hot. Too many people are shouting. James has his sword out. Belle isn't smiling anymore. Emma steps up to the bars and says something. He can't understand her. She's too far away. Everything is spinning…<p>

He comes to on the other side of the cell, his head cradled in Belle's lap.

"Did it work?" he asks weakly. Belle nods, and Rumplestiltskin lets his head fall back. "That explains a lot."

Emma clears her throat. "OK, I have no idea what just happened."

Belle smiles at her. "True love's kiss can break any curse."

"Right…" Emma looks over at them. "Can you stand?"

Belle helps him sit up, but when he moves his right leg, a too-familiar pain shoots through it.

"Not without a cane, no."

"We'll get you one," Belle says, but James shakes his head.

"Out of the question; he's going back in the cell."

"I'm sorry, what?" Belle frowns. "Why does he have to—"

"He's a criminal." James reopens the cell.

"But he doesn't have any more magic! He's just an ordinary man now!"

"Belle…don't." Rumplestiltskin puts his hand on hers before limping as best he can towards the cell.

"It doesn't matter if he can't use magic now," James says. "He's used it before, and there is no way he can repay everyone he's hurt." He shut the cell back up. "So he will pay by spending the rest of his life in here."

Belle's expression hardens. "What exactly are his crimes?"

"I couldn't list them all," James says. "If you really want to know, you should ask him yourself."

She turns in time to see Rumplestiltskin's face contort in pain. "What?" she asks, reaching through the bars to grab his hand. "What have you done?"

He hangs his head. "Belle…don't ask this of me."

"What have you done? Your deals?"

"Not just deals." He can barely hold back his guilt. "I'm a murderer, Belle. I've got the blood of more people on my hands than I've used magic to save."

Belle drops his hand, her eyes wide.

"And you killed…for what reason?"

He won't answer.

"Rumplestiltskin?"

"Because I could."

She recoils in silence. He imagines her gaze on him changing from pity to disgust, although he dares not look up to see.

"I was wrong," she says at last, and for a moment, Rumplestiltskin believes she can still love him. She can forgive him, and he can be happy again. But then she speaks again, and the illusion shatters. "You _are_ a monster."

* * *

><p>Order slowly returns to the realm. Ella and Thomas take their daughter and move back to their kingdom, inspiring others to also make preparations.<p>

Although Maurice has secured a carriage for the journey home, Belle refuses to leave, shutting herself in a borrowed bedroom with some books.

"Belle…Belle, love. Come on; let's go home." He's worried about her; something about the way she looks at him makes him heavy with sorrow. He cannot understand; even if she tried to explain, he can never understand.

"Papa," she says one day, "perhaps you should return home without me. I'll join you later."

"I'm not leaving you, my girl," he says, shaking his head. "I lost you once. You're mad if you think I'm giving you up again." He may not understand, but he surely can love her.

Belle closes herself off from the others. She takes her meals alone, spends most of her time in the castle library, and rarely speaks to anyone else. Emma tries unsuccessfully to engage her in conversation a few times, but at this point, Belle cannot handle conversations with anyone else.

This changes one evening as she walks the castle gardens alone, looking up at the stars. She almost wishes that awful Blue Fairy would come down so she can vent her anger on someone else.

"Belle?" a voice says suddenly. She gasps, looking around for the source.

"A fairy!" She is taken aback. "Where—?"

"I hear your wish," the fairy says. "I'm the Blue Fairy."

"You!" Belle's voice is low with fury. "You're the one responsible for keeping Dreamy and his love apart!"

The fairy's smile disappears. "How do you know about that?"

Belle is near tears. "Because I was the one who told him to go to her. I was the one who told him to be with his love. Because love doesn't always last forever!" Her voice breaks on the last word, and she sits down on a bench, hating herself for breaking down in front of someone else.

The Blue Fairy is quiet for a moment before she finally speaks again. "I didn't believe Nova and Dreamy had true love. After all, dwarfs don't love. Neither do fairies.

"Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps it was true love. But if Nova had gone with Dreamy, it would have been a disaster. Nova would have lost her wings."

"Did you ask her if she even still wanted her wings?"

"She was still in training. A fairy cannot give up her wings unless she is a fully matured fairy. Nova wasn't. I was wrong not to explain this to her, but we had bigger threats to face."

"Bigger threats?"

"The curse, for one. And there was also the matter of the Dark One."

"Rumplestiltskin?" Belle asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yes. You see, we fairies owe you a life debt of gratitude. The real reason I came down here was to thank you."

"Thank me? But what did I do?"

"The one thing that we fairies could not: you defeated the Dark One."

Belle tries to protest, but the Blue Fairy shakes her head.

"If it were not for you, child, the Dark Magic would have plagued our world forever, for it is even older than the fairies."

"You mean…Rumplestiltskin wasn't the first?"

"No. The first Dark One, who conquered the Magic long before the fairies were born, made a curse designed to last forever for the only way to defeat her was to take her powers.

"Each time someone killed the Dark One in the hope of ending the evil, the curse preyed on the innocence of the new host and became more wicked and depraved. By the time it reached Rumplestiltskin…" She paused. "I did not know of him before the curse set upon him, but he must have been an innocent man for I could barely come near him, the evil was so great."

"But you're a fairy," Belle says, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Why couldn't you have helped him?"

"Many people believe that fairy magic is unlimited, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. The curse of the Dark One was older than our magic and therefore beyond our capacity to heal. I tried once to aid him, but he was too much of a coward to take my help." She sighs heavily. "My mistake was letting him continue as a free man from that moment on, for he then developed the curse that brought us all to Storybrooke."

She smiles at Belle. "But that's why what you did was so remarkable. You found a way to rid the world of the Dark One without killing its host.

"True love is the most powerful of all magic, magic that the Dark One fought at every turn. How you managed it, I'll never know, but by making Rumplestiltskin love you, you have done what the fairies could not and for that, we are forever in your debt."

"What?" Belle is stunned. "But I didn't…I wasn't…"

"Whatever your intentions were, the result is still the same," the Blue Fairy says kindly. "You loved him, and therefore, you saved him, and by saving him, you saved all of us. All of the magic of the fairies is at your disposal."

"All of it? You mean, I can wish anything?"

"Of course."

"Wait," Belle frowns. "Your magic has limitations. What can't you do?"

"It's simple: we can only fully grant wishes born of purely unselfish desires. Do you know Pinocchio?"

Belle shakes her head.

"His father wished for a child, a real boy. Part of his wish was borne of a reason to share his love with another, but the other part was his own desire for companionship. I could not fully grant his wish until Pinocchio himself, a wooden puppet brought to life, was able to unselfishly wish to give his life for his father."

"I don't understand…"

"Few mortals do," the Blue Fairy sighs wistfully.

"Then I will wait before I make a wish," Belle resolves. "I will wait until I understand."

"All right. Whenever you need me, just look to the Evening Star."

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin thought he had known despair before, but this is the lowest he's ever been. His curse didn't work; only the gods know where his son is now. For a moment, he believed Belle had returned to him, a gift for some unknown good deed, but she rejected him. He is too wicked to love, and everyone, <em>everyone<em>, had turned away from him.

A door creaks off in the distance, and he hears footsteps. He expects guards bringing a meal, so he's surprised when Emma and Snow White appear before him.

"The two princesses," he sighs in a voice no longer masked in flamboyance. He's just a tired, old man now. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"So it is true," Snow breathes. "True love _can_ break any curse."

He snorts. "True love…I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on!" Emma says, rolling her eyes. "You're not all glittery any more so some kind of love…magic was going on."

Rumplestiltskin ignores her. "Why are you here?" he asks.

"James…called a council," Snow says, her voice wavering a little. "The vote was unanimous: you've been sentenced to death."

"Of course it is," he murmurs as he sinks back onto the plank he calls a bed. "Well, thank you for at least telling me in person."

"That's not why we're here," Emma says. "We're here because I owe you a favor."

Rumplestiltskin sits back up. "Surely you cannot offer me amnesty?"

"Of course not, but you're entitled to a last request."

"There is nothing that I want," he says. "Unless it's to move my execution date sooner."

Snow gasps. "You don't really want that, do you?"

"Why not? The only things I truly want are forever out of reach. My curse failed, I'll never find my son, and now, _she_ thinks me a monster." His voice breaks on the last word, and he has to turn his face away to hide his tears.

Snow and Emma exchange a look.

"Did you know he had a son?" Snow asks.

"No." Emma looks at his shaking shoulders. "Rumplestiltskin? I know what it's like to lose your kid. If we can find a way…I'll help you."

"There is no way," he whispers.

Emma swallows hard and looks to her mother. Snow shakes her head, unable to think of anything to say.

"All right," Emma says reluctantly. "But if you think of anything you would want…I'm here. It's not like you to break a deal."

He smiles wryly at that, but when he hears their footsteps receding in the distance, bitter tears run down his cheeks. He weeps for Baelfire and for Belle and for himself; he always knew this story wouldn't have a happy ending.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma inherited many traits from her parents: beauty from her mother, a strong sense of justice from her father, but she got her wide stubborn streak and single-minded focus from both of them. So when Emma gets the idea into her head that she is going to do something about that favor she owes Rumplestiltskin, nothing is going to distract her from that.

It doesn't take her long to figure out what she'll do; after all, she was just reunited with her own child after a long separation, and she knows exactly how painful it is to be separated. Thankfully, she and Henry were only separated against their wills for a short time; she can't even imagine the pain Rumplestiltskin has endured after years without even knowing where his son is. Emma won't stand for that going on any longer; somehow, she's going to facilitate a reunion, no matter how long it takes her to figure it out.

Her first instinct is to find Belle. She seeks out Sir Maurice after dinner one night, but the man refuses to allow her to visit his daughter.

"She's not willing to see anyone," he whispers. "She won't even see me sometimes. I…I don't know what happened, but I can't risk it getting worse." He takes in Emma's crestfallen face. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," she replies.

A minute later, she has Henry on the case. Henry can charm anyone into coughing up information, whether they realize it or not.

After he spends three minutes chatting with Maurice, Emma knows where to find Belle. She goes to the library the next morning, armed with tea and a book of her own, still not entirely sure about what she's going to say.

Belle sees her first; to Emma's surprise, she doesn't seem unhappy to have company, even pulling out an extra chair.

"Hello, princess," she says. "Need help finding a book? I think I've already been through most of the books in your library."

"Please, call me Emma. And no, I'm all right," Emma responds, relaxing a little; from what Maurice told her earlier, she was afraid Belle wouldn't even talk to her.

"I know this isn't exactly a good time," she begins, "but I need your help with something."

"Of course."

Emma swallows. "It has to do with Rumplestiltskin." She notices Belle stiffen. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but I owe him a favor. And…" She can't bring herself to tell Belle about his sentence. "Well, there's a time limit, and I thought you would be able to help me do that favor."

Belle remains silent for a moment, weighing her options. Half of her wants to cry that she wants nothing more to do with that beast, and the other half wants to agree wholeheartedly to anything he needs.

"What favor are you doing?" she asks at last. She'll base her response on whatever Emma's plan is.

"I want to help him find his son."

Belle almost falls out of her chair. "You knew he had a son?"

"He dropped a few hints." Emma hopes she said the right thing. "I was hoping maybe you knew more about where he was."

"No…he never told me," Belle sighs. "All I know is that he lost him. I assumed he meant through death."

"I think he lost him in a different way," Emma says. "Maybe to another world…" She smiles as the seed of a plan sprouts. "Belle, have you heard of a man known as the Mad Hatter?"

Everything falls into place quickly. Emma spends an hour with Jefferson, trying in vain to convince him to lend him the hate, but just before she leaves, she mentions that the trip was to reunite a parent separated from his child. Jefferson immediately changes his mind and agrees to use his hat to facilitate the trip.

Next, Emma goes to beg Pinocchio for help. After all, he's one of only two people in this world who have visited places outside of Storybrooke in the other world. She'll need his traveling experience and his knowledge about Baelfire.

"Do you want to come?" she asks Belle, who has been watching her pack supplies for the past hour. "You're certainly not obligated to…"

Belle nods,

"Good; be ready in two days' time."

They need to make the trip soon. Emma only told her mother of her plan; Snow White thinks it wise not to alert her husband to this, so they will be sneaking Rumplestiltskin out of his cell in the dead of night to make the journey.

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin wakes up to the sound of his cell door opening.<p>

"Who is it?" he mumbles, but he has no time to find out before arms roughly grab him and lead him out of the cell.

"What's going on?" he asks, but whoever is holding him does not answer.

Once above ground, he sees Emma standing with her mother and a few other people he can't yet recognize.

"He's here; good," she says. "We can get started." She nods to Jefferson to get ready.

"What's going on?" Rumplestiltskin asks again. He's a little annoyed that no one is even noticing his question.

As he draws closer to the group, he recognizes Pinocchio and has to bite his tongue not to say something in protest. He does not recognize the other man in the group, but when he sees Belle standing there, dressed neatly in a pair of slacks and in calm conversation with the others, he is floored. She looks up as he and the guards approach, but he can't read the look on her face.

He only has a few moments to take in the situation before the guards seat him on a crude wooden bench. Something is strange about the entire situation; Pinocchio is dressed in that heavy leather coat he favored while in Storybrooke, and Emma is dressed in blue jeans. He fixes his narrowed eyes on Emma just as she finishes rummaging in the bag before her and pulls out the cane that belonged to Mr. Gold.

"Rumplestiltskin," she says, holding the instrument out before her as if offering it. "If I give you this, will you be able to dress yourself in that?" She points out one of his suits from the other world.

"I could," he says drily, "but I won't."

"Why not?"

"Firstly, because that tie clashes horribly with that shirt, and the pants are wrinkled. Secondly, because I haven't any idea what the hell is going on!"

Emma's mouth curves into a half-smile. "I told you I owed you a favor. I always pay people back, whether they want me to or not." She passes the cane to him; he accepts it without thinking. It's strange how _right_ the handle feels in his hand.

"I'll get you a different tie," she says, about to leave him to undress.

"No," he says. "I like that tie. Find me a different shirt. Black and with a navy blue vest."

After he's changed his clothes, Emma leads him back to join the rest of the group.

"Jefferson, I'm sure you've heard of Rumplestiltskin," she says by way of introduction.

"Yes, of course," Jefferson answers. Rumplestiltskin eyes him suspiciously; what on earth could be in the large hatbox he's holding

"All right," the hatter continues. "I need you to tell me exactly where you think your son is."

"What?" He's bewildered. "How do you propose we go back to the land we were in? I haven't exactly got a spare curse lying around!"

Jefferson gives him a stony look and opens the hat case. When he pulls out the hat, Pinocchio gasps.

"I'd heard about it once, but I thought it was a legend," he says.

"What is that?" Rumplestiltskin asks, but in the back of his mind, he half-remembers a story he long thought mere rumor.

"The hat is the answer," Jefferson says. "We'll use it to cross to the other world."

"A realm jumper…" Had Rumplestiltskin even known this to be a possibility, he'd have saved himself centuries of pain. "How did you ever find one of those?"

"Trade secret." Jefferson pulls out maps and atlases of the former land. "You have a general idea of where your son is located, I hope."

"Yes." He opens to the atlas to the United States and points to the western coast. "All my calculations tell me his last known residence is in San Francisco, California."

Jefferson nods and looks to Emma. "Whenever we're ready, I can get the hat ready."  
>"Are we ready?" Emma asks the others. Pinocchio and Belle nod. Rumplestiltskin still can't figure out why Belle is here, but he doesn't have time to question because Jefferson has bent over and spun the hat on the ground.<p>

The hat opens up, spinning even faster, and Jefferson shouts for them to jump. He and Emma jump first, followed very closely by Pinocchio. Belle looks at Rumplestiltskin, almost as if she expects him to hesitate. He surprises them both by leaping first.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: **I didn't forget about this fic! There has been a host of personal issues that came up over the summer, some of which are ended now, and some of which won't end ever (more about that later). I apologize for the long wait.

* * *

><p>They land on soft sand beside an ocean covered in fog. Rumplestiltskin tries to stand up, but the sand is too soft and he can't use his cane to push himself up.<p>

Pinocchio cries out as his legs quickly turn back into wood. Emma runs over and gives him a small dose of magical medicine, and he lies there as the magic slowly does its work and returns his legs to normal.

"OK," Emma says, turning their attention to business, "we only have five more of these magical doses. They're good for twelve hours each, so we're on a time limit here.

"Also, we need to have some uniformity in names. Pinocchio, you're August again. Belle, Jefferson: your last names are now French and Powers. And Mr. Gold." She eyes him almost playfully. "You got a first name you'd like to share with us?"

Rumplestiltskin—no, Mr. Gold once more—is still struggling in the sand and in no mood for this. "I'll reveal my first name _if_ necessity calls for it," he growls. To his annoyance, Emma laughs then gestures to August to help Gold up to his feet.

Belle stands aside from the group, staring at the waves. The sun is just beginning to peek up from the hills to the east, and the fog dissipates enough that they can all see the gray-green bay before them.

"It's beautiful," she breathes. Mr. Gold moves to stand beside her, but he faces in the other direction taking in the view of the city. A few cars zoom on Highway 1, and in the distance, tiny lights twinkle as households wake up to start the day.

"We need to head to the Financial District," Gold begins. "He works in a bank—Wells Fargo."

"Right," Emma says, looking around. Her brows furrow; she's been to San Francisco before, and she remembers tall buildings and steeper hills.

August realizes at the same moment. "Are you sure we're in the right place?" he whispers to her. "I've been to San Francisco plenty of times, and this…this is…"

"Monterey," Jefferson says, reading off the sign he sees on the beach.

"What?" August and Emma say at the same time.

"Where is that?" Belle asks. "Are we even close?"

"That's about a hundred miles south of where we need to be," Emma continues, pushing her hair out of her face.

Mr. Gold's face twists in anger. "You said you could get us to where my son is!" he shouts at Jefferson.

"It must have been a calculation error," Jefferson replies calmly. "Or perhaps the hat felt something that redirected us here."

"It doesn't matter," August says, jumping in with a solution. "We're only about two hours away, so we'll just rent a car and drive up to San Francisco."

"With what money?" Jefferson asks. "Breaking the curse means there's no trace of our false identities anymore."

"I have a bank account here that should still be good, but there's not much in it," Emma says. "August?"

The man smiles uncomfortably. "I guess it's a good thing you brought me along."

* * *

><p>August rents a little Honda Civic for the group, and, after stopping for breakfast at a shabby diner across from an adult bookstore (something neither Belle nor Emma seemed too pleased about), they're north on Highway 101, speeding up to San Francisco.<p>

It's a tiny car; Emma and Jefferson claim driver and passenger seats, respectively, since Emma likes driving and Jefferson has all the maps, but that leaves August, Gold, and Belle cramped into the backseat. Belle, being the shortest, is kind enough to take the middle seat, but space is tight, and she has to keep her arms crossed to keep from accidentally touching either one of them.

The atmosphere is tense. At one point, August tries to make a joke, but he's met with silence; Gold is refusing to listen, and poor Belle couldn't understand it at all. Everyone is uneasy around someone: August is wary of Jefferson, Gold can't stand the sight of August, and Belle is cool towards Gold. It's so bad that Emma is almost grateful when Jefferson gets violently carsick and they have to pull over.

"How much longer do we have to go?" he gasps in between his retching.

"An hour and a half, depending on traffic," Emma replies. She looks at the trio still sitting stoically in the backseat of the car. "It's going to be a long drive."

They stop two more times: once for Jefferson to be sick again, and once for Emma to buy everyone In-n-Out burgers. A few miles away from San Francisco, she finally breaks and turns the radio on a hard rock station, ignoring the looks she gets from the backseat.

"Most awkward road trip ever," she mutters as she speeds past Candlestick Park and towards the mess of city traffic.

* * *

><p>Emma drives straight to the Financial District looking for the address Gold provided, but with all the one-way streets, she's lost in seconds. Fortunately, traffic is light, and Jefferson wasn't kidding when he said he's handy with maps, so a little after noon finds them precariously parallel-parked in front of the Wells Fargo building.<p>

Gold is out of the car immediately; ignoring the pain his leg is giving him, he strides towards the building. He's afraid, but he's also been ready for this moment for centuries, and he knows if he doesn't go in there and demand to see his son immediately, he'll never find the courage.

The lobby isn't really that big, but it feels like a cavern. He staggers to the front desk and pauses before the receptionist.

"May I help you?" she asks, smile huge and toothy with false warmth.

"Yes, I…" He pauses, gathers his courage, and smiles back with just as much fake emotion. "I need to see Mr. Shepherd."

"Richard or Jack?"

He thinks for a minute. "Jack." It makes sense.

"He's out for the day. I can make you an appointment for ten o'clock tomorrow morning?" Her fingers are already hovering over the keyboard.

"I'm sorry…he's where?"

"Out. He's scheduled to visit the Salinas branch today."

"I see." He's heartbroken, but at the same time, he's waited for lifetimes. What's one more day? "I'll take it."

He clutches the appointment reminder card that the woman gives him and heads back to the car.

* * *

><p>They eat in Chinatown, per August's request, and Gold explains what happened over dinner.<p>

"So that's why we landed in Monterey," Emma muses. "The hat sensed your son in a different location and tried to bring us closer."

"Yes, it's a shame we didn't know this," Gold murmurs, picking at his dumplings. Belle is still quiet; she's said very little during the entire trip, and he's still not sure why she even agreed to come along.

On the walk back to Emma's car, August sways and nearly falls; Belle grabs his arm to steady him.

"Your legs?" she asks, and he nods.

"We'll give you a dose in a moment, August," Emma says. "We'll need to find somewhere to stay for the night."

"Yes, but where?" Jefferson asks.

"There," Belle points to a nearby hotel. Everyone turns to her, and she flushes. "It…it looks big enough for us."

Her guess proves correct; they check into a room with two queen beds and a pull-out sofa bed. An awkward moment passes as they all stare at each other, trying to figure out how to divvy up the beds.

Emma clears her throat and points to the bed closest to the door. "I'll share that one with you, Belle. You boys figure out the rest."

Jefferson and August exchange uneasy looks with Gold.

"We'll share too," August says at last before collapsing onto the chosen bed. "Emma, can I have that magic dose now?"

Emma administers the potion, and August relaxes as his legs turn back into flesh. He's snoring within minutes.

The others begin preparing for bed. Emma avoids eye contact as she pulls off her shirt and climbs under the covers in her tank top and jeans. Jefferson strips down to his boxers but keeps his scarf on until he's pulled the covers up to his chin. Belle, unable to undress while watched, goes into the bathroom to change.

When she comes out, dressed in an old-fashioned slip, she's surprised to see the only one still awake is Gold. He's already removed his jacket and shoes and is loosening his tie. Belle stares just long enough for him to notice before blushing and turning away. She finds a book in the nightstand drawer and fixes her eyes on something called the Book of Genesis, determined not to look as Mr. Gold slowly unbuttons his vest, removes his cuff links, undoes his shirt.

She's staring again.

Frustrated, Belle slams the Bible shut and puts it back in its drawer before turning her light off and diving under the covers, desperately hoping he didn't notice. The last thought she has before sleep overcomes her is disappointment that Mr. Gold wears an undershirt beneath his dress one.

* * *

><p>In the middle of the night, Gold awakes to see Belle standing and staring out the window.<p>

"What are you looking at?" he asks. She lets go of the curtain as if it was a branding iron.

"Nothing! I mean, well…the city, really. And the water."

He grabs his cane so that he can stand beside her and pulls the curtain back so they can both look.

"Did you ever get to see the world, Belle?"

She pauses. "Very briefly. I saw a few taverns, went through a few markets…my ultimate goal was the sea. I wanted to see it." She sighs. "And now, I am seeing the sea. Well, _a_ sea."

"Is that why you came with m—with us?" His hands are shaking. At this rate, he is barely able to keep his grip on the cane.

"Not quite," she relents. "I came because I know how important it is for you to find your son." He moves as if to take her into his arms, but she pushes him away. "I'm still mad at you."

He nods. "I understand."

"And I don't know if…_when_ I'll be able to forgive you."

"I'll do whatever it takes," he murmurs. "Whatever I have to do."

"I know. Everyone deserves a second chance." She touches him on the wrist, mirroring the moment when he first saw her again. It breaks his heart to see that, knowing that she won't let him hold her now while he still has the chance.

"Belle," he begins, but she's already pulling away and returning to her bed. He curses himself for being unable to tell her the truth—that there's no way he can ever atone without paying for his crimes with his life.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Gold is showered, shaven, and sharply dressed by seven in the morning. He opens the curtains to observe the weather, waking up Emma, who throws a boot at him.

As one by one, the others sleepily awake and prepare for the morning, Gold grows more and more impatient. He paces the small span of carpet between the beds and the television set until he accidentally shocks Jefferson as he brushes by. In the elevator on the way back to the car, he taps his cane so loudly that Emma has to tell him twice to cut it out, then in the car, he fidgets constantly with the seatbelt.

Emma can't park in front of the building, so she stops in a loading zone long enough for Gold to get out of the car.

"How long do you think you'll be?"

He shakes his head. "No idea."

"OK. We'll meet at Fisherman's Wharf at noon then."

August helps him out of the car and hands him his cane.

"Hey, uh, Mr. Gold?" he says suddenly.

"Yes?"

"What you said to me…when you thought I was your son?" He swallows nervously. "If you tell him that now, there's no way he won't forgive you."

Gold doesn't say anything; he knows that the man is trying to apologize, but he's not ready to dole out forgiveness just yet. He nods curtly before turning to face the Wells Fargo building. It's much more intimidating and foreboding than it was yesterday.

"Mr. Gold?" Belle touches his sleeve, and he turns just in time for her to kiss his cheek. "Good luck," she whispers into his ear.

Somehow, that is all of the encouragement he needs. He strides into the building and shows the card to the receptionist and is escorted into the elevators immediately. This time, it's real. This time, he will see his son.

* * *

><p>He enters the office after the receptionist and shakily stands before the desk.<p>

"A Mr. Gold to see you, Jack," she whispers.

"Is he here about a loan?"

"No…some deal you made when you were younger."

The man named Jack starts at that, frowning. "I'll see him."

The receptionist leaves, and he finally looks up at him from his desk.

They stare at each other in silence. Jack's eyes rapidly scan the man before him, confusion written all over his face, before he closes his eyes very tightly and opens them again.

"Papa?" It's a small sound, one that Gold wouldn't have even heard if he wasn't straining forward, desperate to capture every moment of his son.

"Papa, is it really you?" he asks again, stepping out from behind his desk now, cautiously moving forward, as if afraid the illusion will disappear at any moment.

"Yes," Gold whispers. "It's really me, Bae."

The next thing he knows, he's smashed up against the door as his son flings his arms around him, holding him tightly.

"Bae…my Baelfire…" He doesn't say anything else; he couldn't if he tried. Instead, he and his son both openly weep as they reunite for the first time in years.

* * *

><p>Jack recovers first.<p>

"How did you ever get here, Papa? You have to tell me everything!" He motions to the chair in front of his desk, suddenly aware that his father's limp has returned. "Did Reul Ghorm give you another bean?"

Gold shakes his head. "My original plan to find you failed, so I came here through a hat." He folds his hands and looks at his son; he can't help but marvel at how much he's grown. "It's a long story, Bae…perhaps we should talk elsewhere."

"Of course! What am I thinking?" Jack presses the button for his secretary and cancels his appointments for the day before grabbing his coat and practically running for the elevator, dragging his father along.

"How long have you been in San Francisco?" he asks as he raises his hand to hail a taxi. "What has happened in the village since I've been gone? Where did you get the hat?"

"Hey, mister, where'm I takin' you?" the driver interrupts.

"Fisherman's Wharf," Gold answers politely.

Jack gives him a strange look. "Why do you want to go there?"

"I'm meeting some people there," he replies, giving his son a look. "I can't stay long. I have to return home soon."

Jack's face falls. "You…can't stay here?"

"I'll explain everything when we rejoin my friends."

* * *

><p>They find the others quickly; Belle and Jefferson are curiously watching the sea lions on Pier 39 while Emma stands aside stoically.<p>

"Oh, good; you're here," she says matter-of-factly as Gold strides towards her. "Is this him?"

"I'm Jack; nice to meet you." He extends his hand towards Emma, who takes it without hesitation.

"You go by Jack?"

"My foster parents said I fell out of the sky, as if from a beanstalk."

Both Emma and Gold flinch at this. Gold hadn't even considered that his son would have parents here in this world, that he might have a family of his own.

"So how many others are in your party? Papa told me a little about how he got here, but I have so many questions."

"There are five of us," Gold answers.

Jack nods. "Let's go get lunch. I know a good place where we can talk privately."

Around bowls of cioppino and plates of fresh seafood, Gold explains everything about his years spent as the Dark One, about the creation of the curse, about the time spent in Storybrooke. Emma and August occasionally fill in some of the missing details.

"So now you've heard my tale," Gold finishes. "And that's how we finally came to be here."

"Wow…" Jack sits still for a moment to digest the information.

Belle, meanwhile, glances at Gold. He's shaking; at this moment, his son could forgive him everything or reject him. Anything is possible.

"I understand, Papa." He reaches his hand across the table. "And I forgive you."

"Oh, Bae…"

"There's just one problem: I can't go back with you. I can't go back to our world."

"Even if you wanted to, you couldn't," Jefferson speaks up. "Five people go in, five people come back." He shrugs. "They're the hat's rules, not mine."

"Never mind that," Gold snaps. "Bae, why don't you want to come back?"

Jack smiles shyly. "I was wondering when you ask." He reaches for his wallet and pulls out a picture. "_They_ are why I can't leave."

Gold takes the photo and stares. A family smiles back at him; he recognizes his son, but the woman and three children next to him are unfamiliar.

"You…you have a family?"

"I do."

Emma shifts uncomfortably. "You know, it's getting late. Jefferson and I should probably scout out a hotel for the night…"

August stands up too quickly. "I'll join you. Besides, we parked in a timed zone, I think."

Jefferson adjusts his scarf. "Belle, will you join us?"

She looks at Gold. He will never have the chance to be with his son again; how could she take any of that precious time away for forcing herself in their company.

"I'll go with you," she says, taking August's outstretched hand and moving away without a second glance at Gold.

He's still so fixated on the picture that he doesn't even notice them leave.

"Do you want to meet them?" Jack asks gently.

"C-could I?"

His son smiles. "Come on; you'll spend the night with us."

* * *

><p>When Jack unlocked his front door and called out "I'm home," Elena Shepherd knew something was different. Maybe it was the sixth sense she swore she had, or maybe it was because her husband was home four hours early from work. Either way, it didn't matter. She flies from the kitchen, almost running into Mr. Gold.<p>

"Ay!" After she recovers, Elena registers that there is a stranger standing in her hallway and begins her questions.

"Jack? Who is this? Why didn't you tell me we were having a guest for dinner?"

"Elena, I know this is unexpected, but…" He puts his arm around Gold. "This is my father."

She frowns. "What about Ed and Nancy?"

"No, no…my real father…"

Elena looks at both men, moving her eyes from one face to the other before smiling and taking's Gold's arm.

"Right this way; have a seat." She deposits him on the couch, then, with a stern look on her face, drags her husband into the kitchen.

Gold does his best not to eavesdrop on the conversation and looks about the room. It's a well-kept home, although a few toys and stray articles of clothing decorate the couch cushions.

"Who are you?"

He looks down to see a young child with a finger up his nose, staring intently at him.

"I…I'm Mr. Gold."

The kid pulls his finger out and inspects the end before shoving it back in. "I'm Frankie. We aren't supposed to bring sticks in the house."

"Sticks? Oh, you mean my cane." He holds it out to Frankie. "I need this to walk."

"Oh. How come?"

"Frankie," Elena says as she comes out of the kitchen, a sheepish Jack behind her. "Get your finger out of your nose right now!"

The boy pulls his finger out obediently before spying his father and running gleefully to his open arms. "Daddy!"

"I'm sorry about earlier," Elena says, sitting on the couch next to Gold and patting him on the arm. "I didn't realize the circumstances of your separation. Jack told me he thought you were dead."

"Ah…" Gold is unsure how to proceed. He can't exactly say he'd lost his son thousands of years ago through a magic bean-powered portal. "It's complicated…I lost him long ago and only now have I been able to finally find him."

Elena's eyes fill with tears. "I'm so happy you did."

"Frankie," Jack says, bringing the little boy over to the couch, "do you know who this?"

"Mr. Gold," the boy answers matter-of-factly.

"Well, yes, but he's also my papa. My daddy."

The boy frowned, trying to process this. "What about Grandpa Ed?"

"He's my daddy too. He adopted me."

"So…this is Grandpa too?" A grin breaks across the child's face as he leaps into Gold's lap. "Hi, new grandpa!"

A baby cry sounds from further back in the house, and Elena excuses herself to tend to him. The front door opens, and another child comes in.

"Daddy!" he cries. "You're home early!"

"I am!" Jack answers, giving his son a big hug. "Joey, I have a surprise for you."

"We have a new grandpa!" Frankie shouts, bouncing on Gold's lap.

Joey looks at his father skeptically, and Jack explains as Elena comes out holding the baby.

"I just changed him," she says, holding him out to Gold. "He won't be fussy."

Frankie jumped off so Gold could take the infant, who looked up at him with big hazel eyes. Bae's eyes.

"So, Papa, this is my family. Elena, Joey, Frankie, and Ernie."

All of a sudden, everything registered. Gold suddenly begins to cry; this family, _his_ family, was here with him, and after tonight, he would never see them again.

"New Grandpa?" Frankie tugs on Gold's arm. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Oh, no, lad," he answers, wiping a tear away with a free arm. "I'm happy."


	8. Chapter 8

Gold had forgotten how eventful dinner with a child could be, so he is amazed by just how chaotic it is with three.

"Mama, I don't like beans," Frankie whines as half of Joey's taco spills down his shirt while Ernie busily mashes Cheerios on his high chair tray.

"So," Elena asks above the din, "you were in Maine all this time?"

"Yes, in the hospital," Gold lies, going with the story he'd worked out beforehand. "I was very ill…the doctors thought I would never leave."

"And you'll be returning to Maine…?" Elena leaves the question open.

"I know where Maine is," Joey says, picking chunks of meat off his shirt and eating them. "The capital is Augusta. Is that where you lived?"

"Joey's really good at geography," Jack explains.

Gold waits for Ernie to stop shrieking (Elena had recently started spooning up stewed carrots) before answering, "No, I lived in a place called Storybrooke. Little town…probably not on the map."

Joey frowns. "I'll check my atlas."

"_After_ dinner, OK? You need to finish your taco." Jack checks his son's plate. "Or at least what's left of it. And Frankie, eat your beans."

"But I don't like beans…"

"Two bites, then. You know the rules."

The boy sticks his lip out in a perfect pout, but he obediently takes a bite and swallows. Mr. Gold has to hide a smile when Frankie gags dramatically afterward.

"Frankie, tell you a secret?" The boy nods, and Gold leans down and whispers, "I don't like beans either."

The little boy dissolves into giggles but sobers up when he realizes he has one final bite to take.

After dinner, they eat ice cream sundaes in the living room while Jack shows some home videos. Gold watches his son's life captured before him: his college graduation, his wedding day, the birth of each child. Baptisms, birthdays, first days of schools, Christmases, and Easters all blur together, aided in part by the tears forming in his eyes. He's missed so much of his son's life; if only he'd listened to his son so long ago, he could have been a part of this…

When they run out of videos, Jack starts the dishes, and Elena rounds up the kids to get them ready for bed.

"May I help?" Gold offers.

"I would judge you if you didn't," Elena says, placing a very stinky Ernie into his arms.

He changes the baby, gives Frankie a bath, and reads a bedtime story to Joey.

"You were right, Grandpa," he says sleepily as Gold tucks the covers just so, "Storybrooke isn't on the map."

"It's been a while since I've done all that," he remarks to Elena as she pulls out the couch bed for him.

"You only did it once," she laughs. "It's a lot more work with three of them."

"That's true, but I did much of it alone…" He shakes his head. "Does no good to speak ill of the dead…I love children. I wouldn't mind doing it all over again."

She laughs and gives him a warm hug. "Well, whenever you want to come and babysit, feel free; I can always use a break!" She gives him a kiss on the cheek. "Good night and see you in the morning."

Jack passes her in the hall to check on his father.

"Papa, you'll be all right here with your leg?"

Gold nods.

"All right, then," he says as he turns to go back. "Good night."

"Baelfire, wait."

At the use of his full name, Jack comes back and sits down on the bed. "What is it?"

"There are some things I haven't told you yet, Bae…there won't _be_ another visit. I won't be coming back."

"But the hat…surely you could visit again?"

"I was allowed this visit as a last request. You know what I was…you know what I've done."

Jack gasps. "Papa, are they going to—?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that I was able to see you, to see your family, and to finally apologize."

"Oh, Papa, no!" His face crumples as he embraces his father; both men start to cry. "Why can't you stay here? We'll find you a place, or you can live with us!"  
>"I have to go back, Bae. If I don't return with the other, they can't go back to their own families." He hangs his head. "I'm done with tearing families apart."<p>

Jack stays with him the entire night; sometimes, they talk, but most of the night, they remain silent, just knowing that at least for these precious few hours, they're together again.

* * *

><p>In the morning, Emma calls.<p>

"Hi, Jack? This is Emma Swan. We need to be heading back, so should we pick up Gold at your place?"

Jack looks at his wife, who is busily getting her older sons ready for school. "Hold on a second."

"Who's coming over?" Elena says as soon as she sees him with his hand covering the phone receiver.

"Four people. They were the ones who brought my papa over from Maine."

She frowns, hands on her hips. "Am I going to have to feed them?"

An hour later, a sheepish Jack is busy scrambling eggs and frying bacon while Elena puts a huge stack of pancakes on the table in front.

"Eat up."

"Thank you," August says warmly as he takes a few onto his plate. "So, you were telling me about your famous tamales; any chance I could get the recipe?" He and Elena had instantly clicked when August accurately identified all the spices he'd used in her homemade pancake batter.

"You want me to give you my left arm?" she cries in mock horror. "No, sir! You'd have to do a lot more to get that from me."

Emma and Jefferson ate in silence; both were aware of the painful parting that was to come and didn't want to get emotionally involved.

Belle shifts uncomfortably in her seat; Gold took the seat next to her but still hasn't said a word. To add to her discomfort, the baby has been staring at her since she came in, and it's making her nervous.

"Do you want to hold him?" Jack says as he puts a platter of bacon and eggs on the table. "It seems like he likes you."

"I…" Before she can refuse, Ernie is in her lap, drooling all over her skirt.

She stares down at him; she's never held a baby before. As if able to sense her uneasiness, the baby immediately grabs a fistful of her hair and begins to chew on it.

"Oh, don't…please don't." She tries to get her hair out. "Ouch!"

"I'll take him," Gold says, deftly extricating the lock of hair and moving Ernie onto his own lap. The baby reaches out for Belle again before shoving his fingers in his mouth and sucking on them.

"I'm sorry," she says softly. "I've never held a baby before."

"I would have never guessed," he whispers back, and for a moment, she sees a bit of the old Rumplestiltskin come through. But the moment ends, and he's again Mr. Gold, but this is a side she's never seen before.

Belle knew he had a son, but she was still surprised how well he took to children. The other children had been leaving for school when they'd arrived, and Gold had been right in the thick of it: tying shoes, picking up backpacks, and giving goodbye hugs. It confuses her for some reason she can't even explain.

"OK," Emma says, pushing her plate away. "We can help with the dishes if you want, but we really need to be going now."

Gold's face falls. Belle reaches over and puts her hand on his.

"I'll do the dishes; go be with your son."

* * *

><p>They leave Gold to say goodbye to his son in private. Emma is impatient behind the wheel, absently flipping through the different radio stations.<p>

"I just want to get back already," she mutters, finally settling on a hard rock station.

Gold comes out of the house and starts walking towards the car. His head is bowed, but it's clear that he's been crying.

When he gets in the backseat, Emma doesn't turn around when she asks, "Ready?"

He can't answer, but Emma wasn't waiting for an answer; she backs the car out of the driveway and turns down the road, heading for the freeway.

August is kind enough to pretend to be napping, so Belle slides over a bit and puts her hand on his shoulder. He turns to look at her, and her heart breaks to see the pain in his face.

He doesn't think—he _can't_ think—and so he wraps his arms around her and buries his face in her shoulder and stays there the whole drive back to where the hat's portal remains.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Notes**: This chapter fought me. I feel bad that I'm having such a hard time updating this regularly, but the combination of writing in present tense (I am NEVER doing that again) and knowing what events need to happen but having difficulty getting the characters from each event to the next are just killing me. I will do my best to get chapter 10 out sooner (it helps that I've already written a page of it). Thanks for sticking with me, and again, I apologize for the long wait!

* * *

><p>Snow White doesn't even have time to turn around before a gust of air knocks her over; she recovers to see the party standing exactly where she left them.<p>

"What happened?" she asks, shocked. "You're back already."

"The hat moves through time and space," Jefferson explains.

"So it's like we were never gone…" Emma looks around. "Well, at least we know that the prisoner won't be missed," she says in an aside to her mother.

As Jefferson packs up his hat, Rumplestiltskin remains motionless where he has landed, still holding tightly to Belle. He's lived for centuries, but this is the first time he truly feels his age, and he can barely keep himself standing.

"Are you all right?" Belle asks.

He nods, then realizes he's holding her so tight that she's practically crushed against him. He lets go abruptly, afraid of hurting her, and awkwardly regains his balance.

Two guards move closer.

"Do you want us to move the prisoner back into his cell?" one of them asks Snow, but she waves them off.

"How'd it go?" she asks Emma, trying to stall and give Rumplestiltskin a little more time to recover himself. "Did he find his son?"

"Yeah; we met up with him, Gold stayed a night and got to know his family, and then we came back."

"His family?" Snow's face crinkles.

Emma shrugs. "I didn't want to get emotionally involved." She kicks at the ground with her boot. "Rumplestiltskin has cute grandkids though."

"Emma," Jefferson calls to her. "I'll be seeing you again?"

"Yeah, sure." She's more than a little confused when he bows to her and then takes off, walking part of the way with Pinocchio before they split to go to their respective families.

Belle is still at Rumplestiltskin's side; he's still not said a word, but they've moved to a bench so he can rest. Belle holds his hand, trying to soothe him, but he's generally unresponsive until Snow and Emma walk over to them.

"Rumplestiltskin…" Snow is visibly upset. "It's time to go back in now."

He nods and presses Belle's hand before standing up and going with the guards back to his cell. Belle watches him leave when Snow approaches her.

"You should get back to your rooms," she says, "before your father notices you missing."

"Right, of course," Belle nods. "But before I go…may I see him tomorrow?"

Snow and Emma exchange a look.

"Belle, you haven't…heard, have you?" Snow asks, her face drawn and overly sympathetic. "His sentence is to be carried out tomorrow.

Belle's eyes narrow in confusion. "What sentence? I wasn't aware there was even a trial…"

"Oh…" Snow can't answer and looks to her daughter. Emma focuses on a spot of grass directly on the ground in front of her and answers gruffly, "He's going to be executed tomorrow morning."

Belle's world flashes white.

When she becomes aware of herself, she's on the ground, ears ringing. Emma is bent over her saying something, but Belle doesn't hear.

"I need to see him."

"What, now?" Emma asks.

"I need to see him," Belle repeats. "And I need to go alone."

Snow stops in her tracks and gives Emma a look, letting Belle descend into the mines alone.

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin is shocked when Belle marches into the dungeon and right up to the bars of his cell.<p>

"Belle! What are you doing down here?"

She barely lets him finish. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"What?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

He sees the tears starting to form in her eyes; there is a long, painful pause before he finally answers, "I could never find the right time…"

She shakes her head. "You're lying. Just tell me the truth. Just tell me you were too afraid to tell me."

He can't look at her now. "You're right; I'm still a coward. I was so convinced I'd lost your love forever that I saw no reason to burden you with my fate." Belle starts to say something, but he cuts her off. "After all, women do not love cowards."

"Women don't love _monsters_," she corrects him. "And you, Rumplestiltskin, coward though you may be, are _not_ a monster." She reaches through the bars to touch his cheek. "I reacted too harshly. You were cursed."

"I was." He takes her hand and kisses it. "But you saved me."

Belle gives him a tearful smile. He was right; her love had changed him, saving him forever from this curse. If only love was enough to save him from his fate…

Rumplestiltskin sees Belle's face change. "What is it, love?"

"You're right," she says, her eyes wide with sudden realization. "I _did_ save you." She clenches her fists in determination. "It's going to be all right…"

"Belle? What are you thinking? There's nothing you can do or say to make them change their minds."

She brushes him off. "It's going to be all right. I have a plan."

"No, Belle," he protests weakly, "we shouldn't waste the time we have together."

"Have faith," she says, taking his hand. "I'll see you in the morning." She kisses him gently, but it's over all too soon and the next thing Rumplestiltskin knows, she's disappeared into the darkness surrounding his cell and gone back up to the surface.

* * *

><p>The light burns Rumplestiltskin's eyes as he's led up from his dungeon and to the gallows. To his surprise, only a few onlookers are here to witness his end. He's resolved to be brave as he meets his end; he doesn't dare to hope that Belle can do anything to stop the execution, but at least he can die honorably before her.<p>

He reaches the top of the scaffold; it's high, and he feels himself tremble as he looks down at the people below. Deep down, he knows that this long of a fall will surely break his neck and thus kill him in the most humane way, but he can't help being afraid of such a long fall.

"Short men are always afraid of heights," he mumbles to himself, scanning the crowd again. Where is Belle? In his last moments, his only wish is for one last glimpse of her.

He shuts his eyes; perhaps it was better this way. _I wouldn't want her to see me like this_, he thinks bitterly.

"Do you want a blindfold?" the executioner asks from beneath his hood.

"No." Rumplestiltskin immediately regrets this show of bravery when the thick rope goes around his neck. He can see a child in the crowd—what parent would let his child see this?

Then he sees her. Belle strides into the clearing; even from his height, he can see the look of determination on her face. She steps right into the middle of the crowd and looks up at him. Everything about her radiates confidence, but Rumplestiltskin can't even imagine how she could do anything to help him.

_What on earth can she be thinking?_ he wonders.

It's the last thought he has as the executioner pulls the lever and he is falling. The last thing he sees is Belle looking towards the sky, and then he hits the ground, the rope around his neck gone.

"What?" He looks up, along with everyone else, to see the Blue Fairy, wand extended, floating above him.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesties," she says to Snow and Charming, "but I cannot let you proceed with this execution."

And Belle smiles the most determined smile that Rumplestiltskin has ever seen.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Notes:** Only one chapter left after this one, and, as it's halfway finished, it should be out soon. Please point out any mistakes I may have made so I may correct them.

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin is still confused. Moments ago, he was falling toward certain death and now, Belle is sitting beside him, hand in his, calmly listening as the Blue Fairy explains her plan to Charming and the others.<p>

"In this situation, death is not the only solution," she says. "I propose lifetime imprisonment. The other fairies and I can cast a spell in a chosen location and keep him there permanently."

"But where?" Snow asks. "Many people throughout the land would jump at the chance to kill him; we'd need a secluded place for his own safety."

"Is his safety really any of our concern?" Charming mutters; Snow elbows him.

"Rumplestiltskin's safety is the wish of Belle," the Blue Fairy corrects him. "She defeated the Dark One, so we fairies are bound to do her bidding. We will not let harm come to Rumplestiltskin."

"I have a suggestion," Belle pipes up. "What about his castle? It's rather secluded, and few know how to get there…"

Emma and Snow nod in agreement then look to Charming.

"That will suffice," he concludes, eager to be done with the matter. "How soon can we be rid of him?"

The Blue Fairy smiles. "It will take two days for us to prepare the castle," she requests. "Bring Rumplestiltskin to his castle on the third day, and we'll cast the final spell."

"We'll have him there," Snow confirms. "Rumplestiltskin, I'm sorry, but we'll have to keep you in the cell until then. It's for your own protection."

Rumplestiltskin is still in shock; he's just been delivered from the noose into a new chance at life, all at the hands of people who considered him a villain.

"You mean, you're willing to let me live?" he asks.

"It's not like I have much a choice about it," Charming says, but he looks as though he's holding back a smile. "Besides, letting you live may help me out in the future."

Emma gives her father a strange look, but realization dawns on Rumplestiltskin and he grins, saying, "I knew you'd come around, dearie."

"Right." Charming waves to the guards. "Take him away."

* * *

><p>Belle accompanies Rumplestiltskin back to the dungeons; when they're again alone together, he can't help but marvel.<p>

"How did you ever get the Blue Fairy to help me?"

"She didn't want to at first," Belle replies honestly, "but she hated the Dark One, not you. I just had to remind her that if it weren't for me, the Dark One would still be here."

"I'm somehow not surprised," he mumbles. "I still don't regret swatting at her with my dagger."

Her mouth drops open in shock. "You hit her with a knife?"

He smiles roguishly at her. "I was cursed."

Belle shakes her head disapprovingly, but she fails to hide her laughter. "Well, now we know who won't be visiting you during your confinement."

"Right…" He frowns. "Belle, when I'm gone, you'll visit me, won't you?"

"Absolutely not," a voice from behind her says, as Sir Maurice steps out into the light.

"Papa, what are you—"

"Belle, I need to speak with you alone," Maurice says urgently.

"Whatever you have to say, you can say before him."

Maurice frowns. "Very well then. Belle, I have no idea what's gotten into you. Commanding fairies and disrupting executions…" He rubs his temple. "All I know is you have to come back with me, love. I don't want you here another moment with this monster."

"He's not a monster, Papa," Belle cries. "He was under a curse. And besides, I…I love him."

Maurice's gaze turns stony. "Is that so?" He gives Rumplestiltskin a piercing look. "Did you tell her what you did to me?"

Rumplestiltskin bows his head. "No."

"What did he do?"

"He beat me. With his cane. Spent several weeks in hospital because of it. Broke my neck, both arms, and three ribs."

Belle presses her lips together. "Why?"

"Ask him," Maurice says. "I'm not entirely in the right, but he took my van and practically put me out of business."

"Rumplestiltskin?" Belle's eyes are pleading with him; he has to shut his eyes to finally utter the truth.

"I thought…I was incorrectly told that after you left my service, he refused to readmit you back into his household. That he'd had you tortured."

Belle sighs. "And you thought I was dead…because of him."

"Yes."

Maurice scoffs. "You expect me to believe that? That I would turn my own daughter out on the street?"

"Papa," she says, touching his arm, "not all fathers are as kind as you are."

"Belle…if this is true, please, _please_…leave this man and come home with me."

She shakes her head. "I can't. I promised forever."

Rumplestiltskin looks up abruptly. "What?"

"I promised forever. Rumplstiltskin, I'm going with you."

"Belle!" Maurice is horrified. "Why would you—"

"Papa, please, I have to—"

"No." Rumplestiltskin shakily gets to his feet. "Belle, I release you from our deal. You made that with the Dark One, not with me. You're free."

Father and daughter freeze and look at him.

"Are you serious?" Maurice is dumbfounded. "You're letting her go?"

Belle blinks. "You…you don't _want_ me?"

"It's not that," Rumplestiltskin reassures her. "I don't want any parent forcefully separated from his child."

Maurice frowns as if mentally solving a difficult puzzle; Belle's face crinkles as her eyes well with tears.

"But I want to go with you," she says, her voice hitching on the last words.

"Belle?" Maurice touches her shoulder. "I'll be in my room, packing. I'm leaving at sunrise tomorrow; I hope I'll see you then." Belle is about to protest when he adds, "Even if it's only to say goodbye." He turns and walks away before the others can say anything.

After a moment, Rumplestiltskin says slyly, "I think that's the closest you're going to get to his permission."

"I don't _need_ his permission; it's my life."

He smiles. "I know…Belle, do you really want to spend the rest of your life banished to a castle with me?"

"Who said anything about being banished?" she says, laughing. "You, not I, are the one unable to leave the castle."

"But you're really coming with me?"

"The Dark Castle's a rather large estate…you're going to need a full-time housekeeper, someone to cook your meals, launder your clothes, dust, beat the carpets…"

"Skin the children?"

"Not funny. But yes, all of that. Besides," she says, taking his hand, "I think I'd be a little bit miserable without the person I love."

He kisses her, this time with all the intensity he'd wanted before, and when she finally pulls back and leans against him through the bars, he's too happy to think anything other than that he could not care less where he spent the remainder of his years as long as they were with her.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Belle bids her father a tearful farewell. He promises to visit a few times a year, just to make sure that she isn't turned into a statue or a toad or anything horrible like that. Belle just smiles to herself and considers herself fortunate that she is able to keep both father and lover.<p>

When at last the fairies are ready, a small party travels by coach to the Dark Castle. All the fairies flying above the estate were truly a sight to behold; Rumplestiltskin couldn't help flinching and worrying that all the dust they were dropping would erode the shingles.

Everything happened very quickly; the prisoner was sat down securely in his prison, the fairies waved their wands in unison, and Charming bade Rumplestiltskin to try to leave only for him to be unable to step outside the front gate of the estate.

"It worked," Emma said, almost as in disbelief.

"Good," her father exclaims. "That means we can get going."

"Don't let the door hit you on the way out, dearie," Rumplestiltskin cackles, and everyone jumps, almost expecting him to be flamboyant and sparkling again.

"Just kidding," he retracts quickly, causing Snow to break out in nervous laughter. After taking leave of Belle, they depart, and the two are left alone.

"Well," she says, looking around. "I guess you should show me to a room."

"What, the dungeon isn't good enough for you anymore?"

"Fine living quarters for a servant, but not so fine for a…" She hesitates over the word.

"In Storybrooke, the word would have been 'girlfriend,'" he offers, "but 'true love' works just as well."

"Indeed it does."

* * *

><p>He shows her to the room that would best suit her then walks to his own that he kept before. He lies awake in bed, wondering if she's comfortable, if she regrets coming back with him, and all the little "what-ifs" that plague him.<p>

At last, he grabs his cane and slowly walks to her shut door. He raises his hand to knock, then, seeing no light from a candle shining from under the door, pulls it back and merely waits outside. Just knowing she's there is enough.

He limps slowly back and climbs into bed; he can hardly believe she'll still be there tomorrow and the next day and the next. He closes his eyes, believing that finally, he's found his happy ending; what more could he want but Belle in his home once more?

He's fast asleep in moments, so he's completely unaware of Belle slowly pushing his door open and looking at him for several moments before blushing and swiftly padding back to her own room.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes**: OK, I lied. There will be one more chapter after this one; the original last chapter was just WAY too long to let it continue that way so I finally decided to split them. But I swear this is the penultimate chapter!

* * *

><p>Belle and Rumplestiltskin quickly fall into a rhythm. She's divided the chores so that everything gets done on a weekly or biweekly basis, giving the ones that require the least amount of walking to him and taking on the heaviest tasks herself.<p>

Once a week, she takes a few threads of gold into town and buys groceries and supplies; her first priority is starting a garden so that they can live off their own produce.

"Once we're finished with the garden, I think we should get a few chickens so we'll always have fresh eggs," she suggests over breakfast.

"Eggs would be nice," he replies. "I would like it better if you didn't have to go to town so often."

"Lonely while I'm gone?" she teases. "You have such an extensive library; I have no idea how you could ever get bored."

"It's not that I'm bored," he says without really thinking. "Just that I don't know what I'd do if you didn't come back."

The moment he realizes what he said, he flushes crimson and stares straight down at the tablecloth, hoping Belle won't notice. She's embarrassed enough to pass over the incident, but she skips her trip to town the next week.

However, about a month later, Belle sends a letter to her father and gets a speedy reply.

"What does it say?"

"Well, I asked him to visit, but he wants me to come visit him first."

Fear seizes him; it has to be a ploy to get Belle away from him. Rumplestiltskin forces himself to calm down before asking, "And are you going?"

"Can you spare me for a few weeks? I do miss him."

"Shouldn't be a problem," he chokes out, but already, the thought of watching her go fills him with anxiety. She's so beautiful, so smart, so independent…any moment, she could realize her life would be better without him and run away never to return.

He's so nervous in the days leading up to her departure that he spends entire nights outside her door, reassured by her presence, but at last, the day comes that he must bid her farewell.

"You _are_ planning on coming back, aren't you?" he says, eyeing the number of trunks she has stacked by the door while they wait for the driver to arrive with the coach.

"Of course I am," she says, giving him a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "And I'll try to come back a little sooner. And you know half of those trunks are empty," she continues, catching his gaze. "I have things I need to bring back with me."

"What sorts of things?"

"Clothing, books, sentimental things from my childhood…and maybe a few surprises."

"Do you really have to be gone three whole weeks?"

Belle giggles at the slight hint of a whine in his voice. "I'll come back as soon as I can." One kiss, then two, before the coachman arrives and loads her trunks.

"I love you," he calls from the doorway as she gets into the carriage.

"I love you too!" She waves from the window of the coach, and he watches until he can't see her anymore.

* * *

><p>The first week passes slowly, and the second passes even slower. Rumplestiltskin is almost stir-crazy, pacing up and down his castle despite the pain in his leg. He starts and tosses away several books, unable to focus on anything until picking up Belle's copy of <em>Her Handsome Hero<em>.

Instantly, he's riveted by the steamy interactions between the hero and the bosomy heroine, his eyes widened by the particular reading material Belle favors. He finally shoves the book away, very red in the face; it's the first time he's grateful he's alone.

He regrets that thought the next morning when a letter from Belle is delivered.

"My dearest Rumplestiltskin," she writes, "I hope this letter finds you in good health. My father sends his regards; while he is still a little wary of you, the fact that I was healthy and whole when I arrived at his manor reassured him that you're _not_ going to roast me on a spit and eat me (don't get any ideas).

"I'm enjoying my visit home, but I long to return to you. Unfortunately, one of the items I intend to bring back with me is taking longer to be prepared than I'd estimated, so I will be gone another two weeks. I do hope you're managing well without me; don't forget to feed the chickens.

"With all my love, your dearest Belle."

Two more weeks! He was managing without her, although not nearly as well as he'd promised (he _had_ forgotten to feed those damn chickens). As he goes out to complete his chores, he cannot help lamenting the circumstances keeping her away. What could she need that he cannot provide for her here?

For some reason, his mind goes back to _Her Handsome Hero_, and he's so embarrassed that he nearly trips and lands in the chicken pen. There were all sorts of bizarre paragraphs about the needs of a well-bred lady, the need for security, the need of someone providing for her. Belle, of course, is much too independent for all that, he thinks, but what if she _does_ want security?

He vaguely remembers her hesitation over what title to give herself; after all, without memories of Storybrooke, the word "girlfriend" means nothing to her. So what is she to him? Certainly a lover (although not explicitly of the type described in Belle's novel), a companion, a friend…none of the available names seems to fit, except—

"Wife," he whispers, and then everything makes sense.

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin immediately begins work planning a proposal straight out of one of Belle's novels. He cleans the entire castle, plans out a menu, and picks roses from the gardens.<p>

At last, he has everything ready but a ring. Unable to leave the estate, he is forced to improvise with the materials surrounding him, and finds he does, indeed, have more gold than he could ever spend. He twists several of the golden threads together, finishing off in a ring just the size of her tiny finger.

But when Belle gets back three days before he expects her, he doesn't even bother to light the candles for a romantic dinner and merely catches her in the tightest hug he can manage, whispering, "I thought you'd never come back."

"What are you talking about? I'm home early!"

"I know, I know," he murmurs, but he finds himself unable to let her go.

She patiently bears his overly long embrace until at last, she has to shrug him off in order to stretch her still cramped limbs. He glances at the candles then back at her and immediately revises his plans. It's now or never.

Belle finishes stretching to find Rumplestiltskin on his knees, wincing in pain from putting weight in the worst part of his bad leg.

"What are you doing?" she cries, immediately trying to pull him to his feet. "You're going to hurt yourself like that."

"Belle, stop; please, listen to me."

She doesn't, though, and he finds himself seated in a chair with Belle checking his knee and other joints for damage.

"Well, nothing's any worse than it was before," she says at last, smiling with relief. "I don't know what got into you; without magic, you shouldn't aggravate your leg like that."

"Belle." He grabs her hands. "Belle, please; let me say something."

She frowns. "Wh-what's going on?"

"While you were gone," he begins, "I was absolutely miserable. When you wrote, I honestly thought I'd be unable to last until your return. So…" He fumbles in his pocket, trying to find the ring he'd made. "I don't want to spend another moment apart from you."

"Are you..." Belle's face twists in fear. "Are you trapping me here in the castle?"

"No!" He responds so emphatically that he flings his arm, and the ring flies across the room and bounces off the floorstones. They both watch as it rolls across the room and finally, with a small tinkle, stops in the corner.

Belle fixes her eyes on him. "What's going on, Rumple?"

"None of this is going the way I planned," he mutters, "but then again, I certainly never planned to fall in love with you." He grasps her hands. "Belle, will you marry me?"

He'd imagined dozens of reactions, from tearful affirmation to recoils of disgust, but when she bursts into laughter, he's dumbfounded; this is the one response he had not expected.

She finally recovers long enough to ask, "Is that why you were kneeling earlier?"

"Yes."

"And I suppose what went flying across the room was a ring?"

"Yes." He squirms impatiently. "Belle, your answer?"

She laughs again. "How could you think I would say anything other than 'yes'?" She squeezes his hands. "I _did_ promise forever."

* * *

><p>Their wedding is held in the rose garden in late spring, and they are surrounded by the scent of roses and more friends and family than Rumplestiltskin thought either of them had.<p>

Maurice happily gives his daughter away; she is dressed in her own mother's wedding clothes, the very item that had taken Belle so long to procure during the visit that provoked all this. They exchange rings, both woven of the same gold Rumplestiltskin had spun for so many years, and when they kiss, the small crowd of guests cheers loud enough for both of them to quickly pull apart, blushing furiously.

They receive guests in the dining hall. Belle's friends and loyal servants from her childhood home had prepared a feast, and Maurice is all too happy to lead people in a toast to begin the meal.

While Rumplestiltskin banters back and forth with Charming while thanking Jefferson and Emma for coming (and secretly noting how closely they are standing together), a fairy dressed in pink pulls Belle aside.

"Congratulations, Belle; we're so happy for you," she says.

"…we?" Belle's question is answered quickly when Dreamy the dwarf joins the fairy's side.

"This is Nova," he says.

She understands instantly. "Your love."

He nods and puts his arm around Nova's waist.

"Thank you so much for what you've done for us," Nova continues. "Not just for the fairies, what you did for me. For Dreamy."

"Of course," Belle responds. "I couldn't help it; it almost hurt seeing someone so much in love and not sure what to do."

"Well," Nova giggles, "whatever you said, it worked. And now, Dreamy and I are going to see the world together, just like we planned."

"That's wonderful!"

"Of course, Nova had to give up her wings," Dreamy says gruffly.

"But before I did," Nova says, pulling out a small pink box, "I put all of my remaining magic into this gift for you. Use it wisely; it will only work once."

"What is it?" Belle asks, but before Nova can answer, her attention is pulled away by another guest eager to congratulate her. She sets the box on the table near the other small gifts they'd received, and, as the rest of the evening passes, completely forgets about it.


	12. Chapter 12

Married life suits the couple well; not much changes except that Belle no longer keeps a separate room. Rumplestiltskin, deliriously happy, does all he can to bring his new wife joy and keep her as comfortable as possible; she endures his fussing only because it warms her heart to see him working so earnestly to please her.

Weeks turn into months, and when the first snow falls outside the walls of the castle, Belle nervously pulls her husband aside to tell him something.

"Are you sure?" he asks, eyes just beginning to widen with hope.

"As sure as I can be," she answers, her hand on the stomach that has just begun to round.

* * *

><p>They spend the rest of winter preparing for the new arrival. One evening, Rumplestiltskin and Belle are hard at work clearing a room for a nursery. As Belle carefully bends over to clean under a table, she finds the small box that Nova gave her and remembers what she was told.<p>

"Rumple," she calls. "I just found a wedding present."

"From whom?"

"Nova, a fairy I helped a while ago." She crosses the room and shows it to him.

"Well, what is it?"

"I have no idea. I only remember that she told me we could only use it once."

Rumplestiltskin turns the box over in his hands until Belle finally asks, "Well, shall we open it?"

"Right…of course." He opens the box and stares at the contents. Belle looks around his shoulder. "What is it?"

"It's…" He hesitates. "It's something magical."

"Doesn't it remind you a bit of when we went through the hat?"

Rumplestiltskin stares harder. "I think you're right."

"Then it's a portal?" she asks, her excitement growing. "Rumplestiltskin, she said to use it wisely because it would only work once; what if she means that it's a portal only to one place?"

He can't speak; the moment he'd opened the box, the prospect of somehow seeing Bae again had entered his mind. It was a hope he'd never dared to entertain; he was already too happy. Surely this much happiness would kill him.

"Rumple?" Belle shakes his arm, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Shall we try it?"

He looks up at her, terrified, before nodding. "Yes. Yes, of course."

He tips the box over in the corner of the room, and instantly, a small opening appears on the floor.

"What if I can't come back?"

"What are you talking about?" Belle gives him a look. "I'm going with you."

"No, I'm going alone."

"I'm pregnant, not an invalid, Rumple. I'm going with you!"

"Belle…" He takes her hands. "What if I can't come back?"

She shakes her head. "That's exactly _why_ I have to go with you."

After a moment, he nods, and hand in hand, they approach the portal and jump in together.

* * *

><p>Jack has just turned off the TV and is about to follow Elena to bed when a blinding light fills his living room and his father falls to the ground in front of him.<p>

"Holy…!" he cries. "Papa, what are you—" He doesn't finish before the light flashes again and Belle is in the living room too.

"Oh dear," she says. "I think the portal was a little too sensitive…I didn't think we'd end up in the house."

"Jack?" Elena calls from the back room, prompting him to take action.

"Quick," he says, grabbing his father by the arm and pushing him towards the front door. "Go outside and then knock. I have no idea what's going on but—"

"Jack?" He's too late; Elena is already standing in the hallway, staring at her unexpected house guests. "Who—how—is that your _father_?"

Everyone freezes before Jack stutters, "Uh, Elena, let me explain."

"How did they get inside? I didn't hear the door…"

Jack leads her to the couch and sits beside her, obviously struggling with the correct words.

"How do I even begin?" he mutters. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but…they got here through magic."

She stares at him, her expression full of disbelief. "Magic? What are you talking about?"

"It's…it's a long story," he begins. "And I never thought…when I asked you to marry me, I promised I would never lie to you, as long as you never asked me about my childhood. And I've kept that promise." He swallows hard. "But the truth is…see, I really was taken in by Ed and Nancy when I was 15, and they really did find me on the streets, but before that…" He pauses; Elena looks back at him, urging him on with her eyes.

"I came from another world." He pauses for a long time, letting the silence fill the room. Rumplestiltskin can hardly breathe while he waits for his son to continue.

"My real name is Baelfire. I was born in a small village that was on the frontlands of the Ogre Wars. The war was going badly, and at the age of fourteen, children were required to fight. My papa didn't want to lose me, so he made a deal to save me, but it was a deal he didn't understand."

Rumplestiltskin clings to Belle; he's never heard the story told from his son's perspective, and each word dredges up more painful memories. It's all he can do to remain standing; without Belle's support, he'd have collapsed to the ground. Belle, meanwhile, watches Elena, whose face has grown increasingly grave; what must it be like for her, to have everything she believed about her husband completely change in an instant?

"So…now you know," Jack finishes. "I don't expect you to believe me. In fact, I wouldn't blame you if…if you wanted to leave."

Elena doesn't say anything for a few moments, but then she sighs heavily and takes her husband's hand.

"When I married you," she says softly, "I promised before God and everyone that I would love you all the days of my life. I don't understand much of what you just told me, but _nothing_ will change that I love you."

They embrace, Jack in tears, before Elena pulls away. "I can still call you Jack, right? Baelfire is a little…I mean, it's a good name, but…"

"Jack is fine!" he answers, laughing, before turning to his father. "So did you use the hat again? I thought you wouldn't be able to visit…"

"Not the hat, no," Rumplestiltskin replies.

"But you used some sort of portal?" Elena asks hesitantly. "Like the one Jack came through?"

"Yes," Belle continues. "We were told the portal only works once, so we should use it wisely."

"The children," Elena finishes for him. "They won't understand."

"Of course," Rumplestiltskin agrees. "And I must apologize; we didn't mean to land in your home, but sometimes, magic doesn't work the way we want it to.

"As for whether we can go back, we honestly don't know, but…" He looks at their fireplace. "There's still some magic where we came through."

"How did you get this portal?" Jack asks. "Can you ask whoever gave it to you how it works?"

"Well, it was a wedding present from a fairy," Belle says. "But she's on a boat traveling the world right now, so…"

"Wait, wedding?" Jack looks back and forth between the two of them. "Whose wedding?"

"Well, that explains the baby bump," Elena says knowingly.

"Baby?! Papa, what—"

Rumplestiltskin smiles; this is the first opportunity in a long time he's had to share good news with his son. "Looks like we have some explaining of our own to do," he says. "Bae, meet your new step-mother."

* * *

><p>After telling Jack and Elena all about the wedding and providing further embellishment to the story of how they met, Rumplestiltskin hesitantly steps into their fireplace and disappears.<p>

He reappears moments later, grinning madly.

"It works!" he cries, overjoyed. After centuries of trying to get to his son, he now has a reliable method to use whenever he wants.

Everyone hugs, with Elena requesting they both visit next week—they can develop an explanation for the children by then—and Rumplestiltskin and Belle go back through the portal to their home.

That night, he lies awake in bed, unable to get over his giddiness.

"You realize, Belle," he whispers, not even bothering to check if she is awake and listening, "that I can see him now. I can finally see my boy whenever I want to."

"Mm-hmm," she replies sleepily. "You finally got your happy ending."

He freezes; she's right, of course, but something still irks him.

"Belle," he says, rolling over so he can see her face, "in storybooks, villains never get happy endings."

"Well, I guess you're not a villain then," she says simply, effectively ending the conversation so she can get her much-needed rest.

Rumplestiltskin dwells on that; he knows he's no hero, so what other role could he have? And if he is a villain, then what horrible thing could befall him to destroy this blissful life?

He puts a protective hand on Belle's swollen belly; he is already infinitely grateful for the child he already has, but if anything were to happen to this new one…

"Rumple," Belle opens one eye. "You'd better not be thinking what I think you are."

"Course not, love," he says, chastised, but he lies awake for several hours and when he does sleep, it is fitful and plagued with uneasy dreams.

* * *

><p>Summer comes, bringing with it unbearable heat. Belle is too large and uncoordinated to continue her usual chores, so Rumplestiltskin hires a maid to help out and stay with her when he visits Baelfire's new world.<p>

The morning of his next planned trip, however, Belle looks decidedly uncomfortable.

"Are you sure you'll be all right without me, love?" he asks. "I can just pop over and let them know I can't stay…"

"No, go see your son," Belle insists. "I'll be fine."

"Oh, good." He kisses her on the forehead. "I'm going with them to the zoo; Frankie is very excited to show me the hippos."

"Hippos?" Belle asks wearily.

"A river horse of some sort," he explains. "I'll be back tomorrow morning."

She watches him go, hiding her discomfort until she's sure he's passed into the other world. Frowning, she presses her hand to her stomach before calling for Alma; in this heat, she doesn't even trust herself to bathe alone anymore.

* * *

><p>Rumplestiltskin spends a perfect afternoon with his son and grandchildren. After a few hours enjoying the zoo, they head back for one of Elena's amazing home cooked meals.<p>

"Yay!" Frankie cries as his plate is put in front of him. "Lasagna's my favorite!"

Rumplestiltskin ruffles his hair and tries his own lasagna. "Elena, this is wonderful; you'll have to give Belle the recipe."

"Where is Belle?" Joey asks; during her last visit, it was decided that she was much too young to be called 'Grandma' and the children would call her by her given name. "I was hoping she would get to come with us to the zoo."

"Remember, Joey? She's going to have a baby soon," Elena reminds him. "Remember right before Ernie was born, and Daddy had to take you to school every morning?"

"Oh, right," Joey says. "My new aunt or uncle." He frowns. "It's OK if I'm older than my uncle, right?"

"Of course," Jack says, laughing. "How do you think I feel, having a much younger sibling?"

"I wonder if it's a boy or a girl," Frankie says, bouncing up and down in his seat.

"Don't worry; we'll find out soon," Rumplestiltskin says, putting a hand on the boy's leg to keep him still.

"Sooner than you'd think," Elena observes. "She's due any day now, isn't she?"

Rumplestiltskin's fork stops halfway up to his mouth. "She is?"

"Papa, you don't even know when she's due?" Jack teases.

He flushes. "I wasn't there when you were born, so…" He puts his fork down. "Perhaps I should go back home tonight."

"Papa, I'm sure Belle won't have the baby tonight!" Jack says, but Rumplestiltskin is already too worried about his wife to even consider staying.

* * *

><p>After dinner, he hugs the children as they go off to bed, pretends to leave the house, then jumps into the fireplace to get home.<p>

He's greeted by darkness. He's not concerned though; Belle wasn't expecting him back tonight, but as he walks through the halls, he finds nothing.

"Hello?" he calls desperately, hoping he'll hear his wife respond from one of the upper or lower stories (curse his impractical castle design), but he receives no answer.

He scrambles up to the top floor and checks their bedroom and the library, then darts down to the lowest floor to check the pantry and kitchen. He is about to turn away and run to the dining rooms when he hears a low moan from the bathroom.

"Belle?" He gets there as soon as he can and throws open to the door.

"Rumplestiltskin!" Belle gasps when she sees him. "You're back?" She's kneeling on the cobblestones by the bath, wearing nothing but her bloodied shift, with the maid frantic beside her.

"Oh, no…Belle!" He can't kneel down to her level so he grabs her hand. "Something's wrong, isn't it? The baby…?"

"The baby's fine," she says tersely. "It's just…this isn't easy."

Rumplestiltskin swallows hard; he's never had problems with children or infants, but childbirth is a bit out of his realm of experience, never mind his aversion to blood in large amounts.

"Alma," he says, breaking the maid from her hysterics. "Do something useful and run to town to fetch a midwife. Quickly now!"

She nods and half-curtsies before running out the door; he hopes she'll at least remember to come back.

"She'll bring help," he says reassuringly. "She'll be back in time."

"I'm sure," Belle says before letting out another moan when her pains hit. "Oh, gods…this is awful."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing, really." She leans back, breathing hard. "I've seen a baby born before; I sort of know what's supposed to happen."

"That's more experience than I have."

"True." She smiles, then frowns. "Rumplestiltskin, there's something I've never told you though."

"What?"

"I don't…I'm not…" She grimaces, fighting through another contraction. "I don't know how to take care of a child!"

"Oh, darling, I'm sure that's not true…"

"No, really!" she says, her words punctuated with occasional cries of pain. "When I held Ernie for the first time, I was so terrified I was doing something wrong. It was the first time I'd ever held a baby. I've never changed a diaper or dealt with colic or…" She broke off, crying out even louder. "I don't think I can do this!"

"You don't think you can do this? Belle, you strode in the middle of an execution and forced everyone to stop and single-handedly conquered the Dark One by removing his curse. All without magic too." He kisses her forehead. "You've nothing to worry about."

"That's different; that was love," she groans. "This is mothering."

Rumplestiltskin shakes his head. "It's the same thing. Do you love our baby?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll be a fine mother." He bites his lip as she lets out another cry of agony. "Is it getting worse?"

"Much worse! Is Alma back yet?"

"I can go upstairs and look for her."

Belle nods, in too much pain to speak.

"I'll be right back, I promise."

He runs up the stairs as fast as his leg will let him and stares out the window, searching for a light coming back toward the castle. The pathway was dark.

"This is a most inconvenient time to be trapped in here," he mutters before looking up to notice a particular, familiar star, which gave him an idea.

No, he thought. Anyone but her. But he was desperate; Belle was about to have the baby now, and he needed all the help he could get.

"Reul Ghorm," he said in a voice that was barely audible, "I know you're there."

"That I am," she said, before him in an instant. "And I hear your wish. I cannot let you leave the castle, but I can send help."

"Whatever you can do," he mutters.

"All right," she says, waving her wand. "Your maid and the midwife are already here."

"Right." They stare awkwardly at each other for a moment before Rumplestiltskin mumbles "Thank you" as quickly as he can; before he can really think about what he said, he runs back down the stairs to be with his wife.

Alma is blocking the door, visibly frightened.

"I can't let you in, sir," she says. "Midwife says you can't go in."

"Is Belle all right?"

"I don't know, sir. All I know is that I flew part of the way here and I don't want that to happen again."

Rumplestiltskin curses in impatience. "Well, go in there and find out!"

Alma scurries in obediently, and he pulls up a chair, determined to wait right outside the door until he knows his wife is no longer in danger.

A moment later, Alma comes out of the room. "Sir! The baby's born!"

He stands up too fast, almost tripping over his cane, when the midwife abruptly shouts something and shuts the door.

"What did she say?"

"She says you can't come in now, sir; something's wrong."

Rumplestiltskin's heart catches in his chest; something wrong? Who's in trouble: Belle or the baby? And what's wrong? He can't breathe; if anything happens to either of them…

He remembers what he thought last night; villains don't have happy endings. It only makes sense that some of his happiness would be ripped from him tonight.

He hears a wail just as the door opens, and he jumps up, brushing tears out of his eyes. "Is she—are they—?"

"You can come in now," the midwife says in her creaky voice. "Child has good lungs."

He runs in to the room to see his wife sitting up, a tiny, grumpy stranger in her arms. "Belle? Are you all right? And the baby?"

She nods. "I'm fine. The baby wasn't breathing at first, but then some pink dust blew in the room, and she started screaming, so…" She moved the blanket so that Rumplestiltskin could get a look at his child's face. "Isn't your daughter beautiful?"

He looks, vision blurry because of tears. "She is. Oh, Belle, she's perfect."

It's true; she has her mother's nose, a patch of fuzzy brown hair, and when she finally opens her eyes and unsteadily focuses them on her father's face, they are the exact same shade of brown as his.

"What shall we name her?" Belle asks.

"How about Juliette?" Rumplestiltskin suggests.

She looks up, slightly alarmed. "What made you think of that name?"

"One of your books," he admits sheepishly.

"Oh…well, it suits her. Hello, Juliette," she says to the baby, who yawns in response. "You know, that was my mother's name."

"It was?"

"Yes, so it's perfect."

* * *

><p>A month later, Belle dresses Juliette in her best outfit and goes through the portal with Rumplestiltskin to introduce the newest member of their family to the rest of them.<p>

When they came through the portal, Elena greets them heartily.

"You're just in time; Jack will be home with the children any moment. Now let me see the precious little angel."

She holds Juliette, singing a Spanish lullaby to her, while Rumplestiltskin helps Belle to the couch.

"You'd best sit down; the children will want to jump all over you," he warns.

The door opens a moment later, and Jack comes in with all three boys bursting with energy.

"Is our aunt here?" Joey asks while Frankie yells, "Yay, Grandpa and Belle!" and runs to hug them both.

"Hold on, lad," Rumplestiltskin says, skillfully intercepting the boy and keeping him from climbing onto his wife. "Belle's tired, so no jumping, all right?"

"OK," Frankie agrees before sitting next to his step-grandmother and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Where's my new aunt?"

"Mama's holding her," Joey explains as he peers through his new glasses at the infant. "I still find it so strange to have an aunt who is younger than all of us."

Jack comes over to take a look. "Wow, she looks just like you, Belle." He shifts Ernie to his other hip so that his son can see. "See, Ernie, see your Aunt Juliette?"

"Baby?" Ernie, only recently beginning to talk, doesn't quite understand the concept of family relations, but he knows the word for this phenomenon. "Baby?"

"Yeah, Ernie, we know it's a baby," Frankie says. "Can I hold her? Please, please, please?!"

"Only if you sit down," Belle says, "but you and Joey have to take turns, all right?"

"I'm quite all right not holding her," Joey says, a little jealous that he didn't think to ask first.

While Frankie holds the baby with a little help from Belle and Elena, Jack gets the camera from his bedroom.

"OK, we're going to take a family picture since it's the first time we've all been together since Juliette was born. Papa, why don't you get everyone situated while I get this set up?"

Rumplestiltskin obliges, seating a child on either side of Elena and making a space for his son, then taking up his position by his wife. Jack finishes setting up the camera and turns to review the seating arrangement.

"Oh, Papa, come on; you've got to be in the middle."

"Me? Why?"

"Well, this is _your_ family, isn't it?" Jack laughs. "Everyone here is related to you by blood or marriage."

"I…I suppose you're right." Rumplestiltskin moves to the center of the couch; Jack gets the camera set up then sits at his father's right. Belle and Juliette are on the other side, and Elena and her children squeeze in next to Jack.

"OK, it'll go off in about ten seconds," Jack instructs, "so everybody, smile!"

Rumplestiltskin stares at the blinking light on the camera ticking away the seconds before the flash will go off. Certainly, in Storybrooke, he'd been photographed, but this is his first time while free from his false life as Mr. Gold.

How strange, he thinks, that a life lasting hundreds of years, through not one, but three Ogre Wars, with widespread fame from countless deals and trades made to acquire more and more power, was so poorly documented with pictorial evidence.

Somehow, it doesn't matter. That life had been an eternity of darkness, with only brief flickers of joy sprinkled throughout; this life, the life that had begun when Belle kissed him, is infinitely better.

He has no power, and the threat of mortality now hangs over his head, but looking at his son and grandsons, his wife and daughter, there's nothing more he could want in any world.

"Papa, smile!" Jack urges, and Rumplestiltskin obeys just in time for the camera to flash. Jack gets up immediately to check how it turned out.

"Hm, shall we retake it?" he asks, showing it to the group. None of the children are looking at the camera; Ernie has a finger up his nose, and Frankie is cross-eyed. Juliette's face is contorted from apparently being in the middle of dirtying her diaper, and Belle's brow is knotted in concern and disgust. Elena's eyes are closed, and Jack's mouth is blurred from speaking. But in the middle of them all, Rumplestiltskin is sporting the widest grin he's probably ever smiled in his life.

"No, I like it," he says. "Let's keep this one."

"Really, Papa?" Jack says, giving his father an incredulous look. "I mean, we can definitely take a better one."

"I'm certain." He looks at the picture again and smiles. He understands now; maybe he hasn't got a happy ending, but the new beginnings he's experiencing daily bring him more joy than he'd ever thought possible.


End file.
